Community Health

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) enhances the nation’s mental health infrastructure by providing states, government agencies, private organizations, colleges and universities, and suicide survivor and mental health consumer groups with access to the science and experience that can support their efforts to develop programs, implement interventions, and promote policies to prevent suicide.

EDC is conducting an effectiveness study of a parent education program to reduce early sexual initiation and alcohol use among young adolescent girls, funded by the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Office for Research on Women at NIH. With extensive community input, the researchers developed a set of audio-CDs, Especially for Daughters, which is targeted to African American and Latino families.

dot-EDU was an information and communication technology (ICT) intervention mechanism for USAID Missions seeking to improve education systems in their respective countries. dot-EDU sought to assist developing countries in strengthening learning systems that improve quality, expand access, and enhance equity through carefully planned applications of digital and broadcast technologies. The dot-EDU mission had two foci. First, dot-EDU provided training and technical assistance to support USAID Missions in developing and implementing technology-assisted applications.

As part of an effort to increase the participation of southern Sudanese in the peace process, the Sudan Radio Service provides access to balanced and useful information through radio-based education, news, and entertainment programs presented by local presenters in ten local languages.

The Universal Education Foundation (UEF) is an advocacy foundation that works in co-creative partnerships toward Education by All for the Well Being of Children. To this end, UEF conducted a Voice of Children survey of children and young people’s opinions, perceptions, and attitudes toward their learning environments. In addition, UEF is launching the Elham Inspiration Program to recognize and support significant contributions by individuals and teams that support the well- being of children in their learning environments.

The PHP-Center, a collaborative research consortium that is anchored in the Center on the Study and Prevention of Suicide of the University of Rochester Medical Center, focuses on public health and population-oriented approaches to suicide prevention. EDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) is a partner in this effort and is serving as a key “opportunity identifier” for research. David Litts, associate director of SPRC, is participating in the Prevention Research Incubator process.

Since 1991, EDC staff have served as consultants and advisors to the World Health Organization (WHO) and have authored numerous publications for WHO on global school health issues. In 1998, HHD was designated as the WHO Collaborating Center to Promote Health Through Schools and Communities. The Center’s goal is to deliver services that strengthen the capacities of schools and communities worldwide to promote the healthy development of students, school personnel, families, and surrounding communities.

The goal of this project is to pilot an innovative school violence prevention program called Voices Against Violence/Voces Contra La Violencia. This video-based program focuses on the critical, but often neglected, role youth and adult bystanders, including parents, can play in preventing school violence. As part of the Columbia Center for Youth Violence Prevention, Voices Against Violence/Voces Contra La Violencia has been implemented in multiple classrooms at a middle school in New York City. Strategies for involving parents as well as youth and school staff have been explored.

CC&F is supporting the goals of Healthy Child Care America by strengthening states’ networks of Child Care Health Consultants (CCHCs). CCHCs provide consultation to local child care programs on health and safety in child care settings and the importance of access to health insurance and medical homes for children. The project hosts a national CCHC registry, including profiles of the status of each state’s current training, funding, and use of CCHCs.

EDC is facilitating a policy development project to promote mental health assessments and improve access to mental health services for youth suspended or expelled from California schools. After an analysis of current school district policies on suspension and expulsion from data and focus groups, EDC will determine policy and program recommendations that enable students to receive necessary mental health services in an effort to reduce dropout rates and disparities in access to services.